Improvement in sashf-astenings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. n. MURPHY, or Pirrsnnne, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,324, dated April 28, 1863.

To all .whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, J. R. MURPHY, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Fasteners for Gar and other Windows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, (marked Figure 1,) which represents the fastener in question attached to a car-window, and which drawingis referred to as a part of this specification.

I am aware that a spring-cam has been used to hold a sash at any fixed position; and that a fastener, in its general aspect similar to mine, has been used in connection with a notched rack on the window-frame for holding np a sash. The rst of these named fasteners is uncertain in its operatiomas the least touch of the tail of the cam often causes it to drop, and is, moreover, liable to get out of repair; and the last-named fastener is noisy in its operation, and depends upon the metallic notched rack forits support, and is, moreover, expensive and unsightly in its appearance.

My invention consists in a nipper-shaped7 sash-fastener, composed of two curved or knee-shaped pieces, pivoted together at their point of contact, and each piece having a presser-foot that takes against the windowframe, the rear portions of the levers or pieces being forced apart by a spring, for the purpose of holding the presser-feet against the window-frame, and thus holding the sash at any adjusted or desirable height.

rIo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawing.

A may represent a window-frame of any kind, and B a sash or sashlframe in the same, the sash or sash-frame being held to the windowframe by the usual strips, C, or in any other known manner.

The sash holder or fastener D is composed of two legs or levers, a c', touching each other, and pivoted at their point of contact, as at b, each leg or lever having a presser-foot, c, that, in the normal position of the spring d, presses against the strip C, or the window` frame A, as the case may be; and as a further security against slipping, these presser-feet may have a projection, e, upon them, which, from its length and position, would prevent the possibility of the sash being forced beyond its fixed position. The spring d tends constantly to force apart the legs a behind their pivoted connection, which action, by the pivoting of said legs, is carried to their opposite ends, and forces the presser-feet against the wood of the window-frame; and to keep the spring in place it may be coiled around a rod or stem at each of its ends, which rods or stem s are fastened to or a part of the legs au, as seen in the drawing. At a point, f, about midway between the rear ends of the legs or levers a a, there may be arranged a pin or stop of any kind, for the legs to come up against when pressed together to release the presser-feet from the window-frame, and to prevent them from going too far. When the levers a d are in the position shown in red lines, the sash is free to move or be moved, but when released they assume the position shown in the black lines, and rigidly hold the sash both from being moved up or down, one leg or lever holding it in one direction, and the other leg in the other direction, and this, too, without any notches, rack, or other contrivanee on the window-frame. The legs, as shown in the drawing, operate as braces between their pivoted and fastened point b and the jamb or strip C, and as they are longer than a horizontal line from b to the janib or strip C would be, they cannot pass that line, and, of course, unless theselevers are removed, the sash could not, with the levers fastened to it, be moved either way. By simply pressing the two thumb-pieces a together, the sash is free. By releasing them, it is tight, and at any desired height up or down, even to its seat.

Instead of the coiled spring d, a flat or any other kind of spring may be used, of metal, or of rubber, or other elastic material.

Having thus fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what l claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A sash-fastener composed of two pivoted knee-shaped pieces, with cam-shaped presser-l feet, controlled by a spring, the whole being constructed, arranged, and operating, in connection with the windowframe, tohold the sash at any fixed point therein without the necessity of notches, rack, or other holding mechanism, substantially as herein described and represented.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA RHonEs, J oHN MGGILvR-AY,

J. R. MURPHY. 

